A New Dawning
by Flame-Goddess-Faia
Summary: The five new candidates have arrived at GOA. However, not all is what it seems. Two candidates, and one repairer hold secrets of an unchangeable past. A past that is better left forgotten. Will their secret endanger their lives and the lives of others?
1. Prologue

.:Prologue:.  
  
The K16 colony  
Haru stared at the transport ship that came to pick him up from his small colony. He didn't say anything at all. He was slightly worried, and tried to shrug off the feeling he had in his gut. He felt glad, since he was one of the chosen few. But he had another feeling. Like if something bad was going to happen. He got a little more nervous. His premonitions were never wrong.  
  
"Hey kid! You coming or what?" A voice said, startling Haru out of his thoughts. Haru just nodded, and entered the ship. Whatever he was feeling, he would just have to deal with it when he got to it.  
  
  
The S81 colony  
Kage shivered. He was freezing. If anything, he was oblivious to all that had happened. He couldn't believe that he was becoming a kouhosei. The time when his mother forced him to get tested after seeing his EX activate was all a blur. He shivered again. His EX. He hoped that no one would get freaked out if they saw it. He walked into the transport ship, his head bent low, his recently dyed blue hair in his face. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be back with his friends, laughing as they had fun. He sighed and hoped he would at least make some friends.   
  
He passed the blonde boy that was already there without a glance. Instantly he had a bad gut feeling. Something was wrong. Very wrong. But he didn't care. He wanted to wake up and hope this was a dream.  
  
The L05 colony  
Two people were standing, waiting for the transport ship. And they kept a great distance from each other. Every once in a while, there would be a sigh, or some other noise, but no conversation was started. And that was just fine with them.  
  
The transport ship arrived. Kometto smiled, something that he hadn't done for a while. His ticket. His ticket out of this hell-hole. A hell-hole he didn't know how he got into. But he knew that he only had the person next to him to blame. Life was always a living hell with that one around. But he was too happy to pass a snide comment or anything. He had waited for this moment forever. Too bad that Faia had also made it.  
  
Faia wasn't sharing Kometto's enthusiam. At all. She was worried.   
Her thoughts were all negitive. Not helping her feelings at all. Was this too easy? Just being able to bury my past? Everything? In her heart, she sure hoped so. She had worked hard for this moment. But something nagged at her, like a string in an unraveling sweater.  
  
She shook her head. You've worked hard. Something should be easy for once. She tried to convince herself, but she knew nothing could ever be easy. She stood on the steps of the transport ship, only two steps from the inside. Her hands flew to the moon amulant that had hung around her neck. She tore it off and stared at it for half a second, before throwing it behind her, not watching where it landed. She stepped inside.  
  
"Time to let go of the past..." She whispered softly, her voice unheard.  
  
The D07 colony  
Yuumei knew he was the last pickup, since his colony had been the farthest. But that didn't stop him from running to the site where he was supposed to be picked up two hours before he should have been. He was feeling great. But that was in his nature. He had a cocky grin on his face, like one of an idiot. But that was becuase he was glad to leave. He hadn't been the most popular one back on his colony for the last few months. He was the one that people are easily drawn to, but even someone who had been your best friend forever would run away screaming when your hair suddenly turned blue and you started generating electicty from your own fingertips.  
  
He stared at his hands, the hands that had ended up frying up half the colony. His expression changed completely. The images of the people screaming, the things frying filled his mind. When he had lost his temper, and his EX activiated, there was no doubt that he would be a kouhosei. In fact, when everyone had pushed him to apply, he believed it was more out of fear than belief that he would make it. He entered the ship that would transport him away from the life that he had known for the past 17 years. He was sort of surprised to only see 3 candidates. There should have been four. But he shrugged it off, thinking maybe the candidate was wandering the ship.  
  
He smiled. "Its a new begining. A New Dawning." He whispered.  
  
  
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Disclaimer: I do not own MK. The creators do. Obviously.  
This is just the prologue. The chapters are coming. In fact, one is already done as you are reading this. Hope you enjoy! 


	2. Meeting

Instructor Azuma Hijikata ran his fingers through his grey hair and let out a sigh that no one heard. He eyed the five new candidates on the transport ship with him. He could easily pick out who resembled who from the previous year. But he didn't let that occupy his thoughts. He snapped out of his thoughts and shifted his gaze to two candidates who were engaged in a conversation.  
  
"Hey. I'm Haru. Candidate number 93. Regards."  
  
"I'm Kometto. Candidate 91." The other boy replied brushing some of the brown hair that was in his eyes aside and extended his hand.  
  
Haru shook it, and plopped down next to Kometto on the small blue couch. Haru had dirty blonde spiked hair, and stunning green eyes. A perfect green. Like if you held an emerald up to the sun. It was kind of creepy to look at.  
  
"I'm from the K16 colony. How 'bout you?" Haru asked, trying to continue the conversation.  
  
Waves of panic flooded Kometto's mind, and he almost began to choke.  
  
Oh crap! I forgot! What colony did we say we were from on the application??? Kometto thought, his mind racing, racking his brain for the right answer. It wouldn't be right to tell them where he was REALLY from. It was a simple question with a complex answer.   
  
"The.. urm... L05 colony." Kometto answered, relieved that the answer finnally came to him. Lies. Most the of the stuff he said was lies. Why did most things he said consist of lies?  
  
Haru seemed to accept the nervous answer as truth. Kometto almost sighed with relief.  
  
"Are you nervous about coming to GOA too?"  
  
Kometto didn't even stutter with that answer. "Scared shitless. Must be why I'm so jumpy."  
  
Azuma lit a cigarette. He moved his gaze from 91 and 93 over to the two candidates that came to join them.  
  
"Yo! I'm Yuumei, candidate 92, and this is Kage, candidate 94," The boy said and extended his hand.  
  
Kometto shook it, and introduced himself. So did Haru. The two candidates sat down and joined in on the conversation. Except for Kage. He sat down where the chair wasn't, and hit the floor.  
  
"Crap, that hurt." Kage said as he stood again.  
  
"Candidate 94. Don't tell me you never learned how to sit." Azuma said.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking." Kage replied, sending as much sarcasm into each word as he possibly could.  
  
Yuumei's black pointy hair was like daggers. They were spiked, but it didn't defy gravity. It just hung there, over his face, with its pointy blue ends. Not plesent to be poked with. So you would understand Haru's reaction when Yuumei snapped his head to the side, when he heard the door whoosh open, causing Haru to be poked numerous times.  
  
The fifth candidate walked in, after looking at the view from the outside. The candidate ignored Haru's yelps of pain, and ignored Haru's weak attempts to beat up Yuumei.  
  
Kage almost fell out of his seat. Again. "Holy crap, is that a girl?!" He all but yelled.  
  
That caused Haru and Yuumei to stop fighting. And also broke off any thoughts Kometto might have been having.  
  
"No dumbass. It's a tiger. Of course it's a girl!" Yuumei replied sarcastically.  
  
Kometto was the only one who didn't look surprised. Their eyes met, each showing hatred toward the other.  
  
"Oh. Its you." Kometto said, his voice clearly showing dislike.   
  
"Hn." Was the only reply that came from her lips, which curled into a frown. Her tone matched his.  
  
"Man... this is tense." Haru said, feeling heat. It wasn't even that warm.  
  
Yuumei just tried to ignore it and introduced himself. So did Kage. Haru eased up a bit, and intorduced himself as well. She did the same. Each of them shook hands except Kometto. She didn't expect him to.  
  
"Your name...?" Yuumei asked.  
  
"Oh. Faia. Faia Hi. Candidate 90." She replied.  
  
Kometto found the perfect time for an insult. "You know, I would shake your hand even though I know you, but I just washed it. Don't want your half-blooded scum all over it,"  
  
Faia's eyes were blazing. She just wanted to rip his heart out. But that would only get her into trouble.  
  
"Half-blood? And that is supposed to mean...?" Yuumei asked.  
  
"She knows what it means. As long as she does, it doesn't matter." Kometto snapped.  
  
The transport ship began to dock. It broke off everyone's train of thoughts, and the conversation.  
  
"All right ladies. Grab your junk and follow me." Azuma said as he got up and headed for the door.  
  
The doors opened, and everyone walked out without a word. Kometto was second to last in the line. With Faia behind him. He was a bit nervous about having her at his back, but he didn't show it.  
  
"So this is GOA..." Kage said aloud, to no one in peticular.   
  
"This way," Azuma said, as he herded the candidates toward the decontamination unit. He dropped his cigarette onto the ground, and let the green cleaner pick it up.  
  
"Filth. You people are crawling in it. All the filth must go." the chief of the decontamination unit said, as held the scissors high in the air. He pulled out new uniforms, the black ones with the GOA logo on it, and tossed them to the candidates. He also handed them the ceremonial uniform, along with another other normal one.  
  
"Hey, what about her? We don't have girl's uniforms." Azuma said as he pushed Faia forward.  
  
"I wasn't informed of this. I guess she will have to wear the regular uniform." the chief said, shrugging.  
  
"Say WHAT?!" Faia all but yelled. Kometto sniggered. Very loudly. Faia almost slapped him.  
  
"Sorry kid. Be grateful you're even here. Just make do with what you got." Azuma said as he saw Faia's hands curl into fists. "I explained the location for the ceremony earlier. I hope you were paying attention." He eyed the shocked expression on Yuumei's face. "Be on time. ALL of you." He added before the door closed behind him.  
  
The sanitation chief had never fought a battle this bad. Almost all oth them fought hard, kicking, punching, biting and scratching, trying to get him to back off. But he won in the end. Afterwards, he was faced with a bigger problem.  
  
The only candidate who hadn't fought was candidate number 90, Faia. He noticed that she was smirking, the sly smile of a fox. Or a tiger ready to spring. He would soon find out why.  
  
"Now... Those filthy locks of brown must go, along with those unstylish gold ends," The chief had said before hacking off a good eight inches. After leaving Faia's hair less than half the length it was before, he turned to grab the things he needed to wash the filth out of her hair.  
  
"What the-?" He exclaimed, as he came back. Instead of being a few inches below her shoulders, as he had cut it, it was back to its original length, about two inches above her waist. The gold ends were still there as well. The chief of sanitation just stared in disbelief as he hacked it off again.  
  
This is worse than when the candidates fight, if that's even possible! He thought as it happened again.   
"Is this going to take much longer? If it does, I'm going to be late for the Admissions Ceremony," Faia asked, her smirk getting larger by the second.  
  
The chief gave up, his face full of disapointment. After washing her hair, he let her leave. He was still trying to figure out what just happened.  
  
Faia walked out with a smile of triumph.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hello. Its me, Faia. So how do you like this fic so far? By the way, I know you people have heard this a billion times, but I do not own Megami Kouhosei. Or any of the characters, except for the ones I make up in the fic. Please R&R! (Read and Review) Second chapter coming soon! 


	3. Arriving

Kometto was barely paying attention to the ceremony. He could barely keep still because of the ichyness and heat of the ceremonial uniform. He wasn't the only one.  
  
Yuumei was squirming like a guy in a strait jacket. He might have begun to yell and scream had not Haru elbowed him hard at that moment.  
  
The heat was really getting to Haru and Kage, but they were smart enough not to show it. Faia was aware of it, yet she was too ocupied with her thoughts. If she wasn't, she would have reacted similar to Kometto and Yuumei.  
  
She snapped out of her thoughts and started looking around studying the faces of the other candidates and their repairers. She noticed that most of the repairers were in little groups speaking to each other quietly, and not paying attention to the ceremony. Good. Faia would rather not be noticed if she could help it. She didn't see a single girl candidate. Great. Now she stuck out. Not much, considering the number of candidates that weren't paying attention.  
  
Hahaha. Poor Faia. Kometto was thinking. The other guys either think she's a girl, a crossdresssing girl, or a guy with really long hair. He wisely eliminated the third possibility. Even a drunk man could tell Faia was a girl.  
  
"Play the Hymn!" Everyone heard. The ceremony was over.  
  
"Damnit! I'm going to die of heatstroke!" Yuumei blurted as they entered the hallway.  
  
"This thing is so itchy!" Kometto whined, and fell over trying to reach and itch.  
  
"Oh what? Are you complaining of a little heat?" Faia snapped, her voice full of irriatation. Obviously, she was still upset about having to wear the guy's uniform.  
  
"Don't taunt me half-blood. Only ones like you could stand the heat." Kometto retorted. "Go back to hell, where you belong."  
  
"Go stick your head between your knees jackass!" Faia responded, adding a glare that would turn anyone to Jello.  
  
Kometto had a sudden urge to tear her apart. He knew she most likely meant it.  
  
"Oh shit. In the name of the seven hells, no." Faia started to whine, as they reached the dorm-like rooms the candidates shared.  
  
"You sure came from one of them." Kometto couldn't resist adding his two cents.  
  
Azuma interfered before Faia had the chance to kill Kometto.  
  
"Actually 90, you are very lucky. For the first time ever, there is a male repairer. You will bunk with the repairers, and he will bunk with these candidates.  
  
"I feel terrible for him. Having to put up with this dog." Faia smirked, and pointed to Kometto. She ran off, leaving an enraged Kometto, and some laughing candidates behind. She was very pleased.  
  
Kometto quickly hid his anger and almost began to strangle the air. The repairer stepped forward.  
  
His hair was exactly like Yuumei's, only a natural brown without any color. You really had to notice that they resembled each other quite a bit. Even Azuma was doing a few double takes.  
  
Kometto breathed in and out. Slowly. And quietly. His face wasn't sure how to arrange itself. What a coinsidence. Two people I know. His breathing was begining to get unsteady. He felt like he was choking. He began to cough. Loudly.  
  
"Hello to you too Kometto." The repairer answered, without much of a tone in his voice. Kometto stopped coughing.  
  
The repairer was dressed in normal clothing. Because being forced to wear the repairer's uniform would just be gay. He was wearing a black tank top with a brownish vest. He also had baggy cargo pants. He had a red bandana in his hair, and an amulant with a strange symbol that no one understood. Not even Kometto did. And that's wierd, with all the time Kometto's known him.  
  
"Are you two related?" Kage asked.  
  
The repairer and Yuumei just stared at him. "Never seen him in my life." they both responded, at the same moment. They stared at each other again.  
  
"Save the introductions for later, ladies. Just get in there and unpack! And don't be late for the physical examinations this afternoon forty-five minutes after lunch." Azuma said as he pushed them inside.  
  
The room inside was almost bare with the exception of five beds and a large closet and a few sets of drawers. All their stuff had been brought over.  
  
"Well, I'm done." The repairer said, two minutes after they got in the room. That startled everyone.  
  
"You're done? Unpacking?" Haru asked.  
  
"What else could I be done with?"  
  
"How in the hell did you finish so fast?" Yuumei asked.  
  
"Magic." The repairer responded sarcastically.  
  
Kometto nearly fell off the bed he had sat on. Those candidates hopefully would never know how close to true that was.  
  
"I never introduced myself. I'm Kaze."  
  
Each of the candidates introduced themselves. Again.  
  
"Hey, you're a repairer, right Kaze? That means you've met the other repairers, right?" Yuumei wanted to know.  
  
"Yeah, we've met. Why?"  
  
"Are any of them cute?"  
  
Kaze blushed. "Yeah, they're pretty cute, but they could totally kick your ass if you piss em off..."  
  
"Kick your ass maybe, but NO one can kick mine, especially a weak girl." Kometto said, with tons of confidence. Everyone knew that eventually his large ego would burst.  
  
"I don't know on that Kometto, Faia isn't that easy to beat." Kaze said plainly. Kometto just glared at him.  
  
"Only for weaklings like you. I could kick that weak girl's ass any day of the year."  
  
Yuumei was becoming seriously annoyed. Kometto never seemed to change the subject. His boating and insults were getting on his nerves.  
  
"Oy! What time is lunch again?" Kage asked.  
  
"I think its at one. I think." Kometto answered.  
  
"If it is, you guys have 20 minutes to get there." Kaze added.  
  
"Crap!"   
  
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Chapter 2 is up. Yay! Please R&R, and I'll get Chapter 3 up! 


	4. More Introductions

Faia had run down the hallway in the direction that she hoped was the repairer's wing. Or whatever they called it.  
  
After running into a group of older candidates, she wisely slowed her pace. She came to a group of hallways.  
  
"Crap... Which one is it?" Faia mused aloud to herself. She finnally spied the one with the numbers 90-94 on it, and walked in. And had a long trip. Literally.  
  
Faia tripped on some bags in the middle of the floor, rammed into one of the beds, and heard a crack as her arm hit... something.  
  
"That was graceful." A raven haired girl was standing over the sprawled-out Faia. She extended her right hand to help the fallen candidate up.  
  
"Very." Faia responded. She saw what she tripped on. "Nothing brused by my pride. I tripped on my own junk!" She pointed to her bags.  
  
"And maybe your arm. You're gonna feel that later." A red-headed repairer had come over.  
  
"I heard something crack." A blonde with silver streaks in her hair also came over. Faia got up and grabbed her bags.  
  
"My arm is fine. It just hit that table." Faia answered.  
  
"Holy crap! Did they run out of repairer's uniforms or something?" A girl had just come out of the other room and her blue eyes had noticed that the person in the room was wearing a kouhosei uniform.  
  
"No. I HAVE to wear this. Stupid piece of crap. Shorts are too short. And everything else doesn't feel right. What the hell were they thinking when they designed this?" Faia said.  
  
"Most likely some seriously perverted thoughts. Hey wait a minute...You're a kouhosei?" The blue eyed pushed some of her blond green-streaked hair out of her face that showed shock.  
  
"Yeah. By the looks of it, GOA doesn't get many of them."  
  
"They never have. With the exception of you and Teela. But she's a pilot now."  
  
"I already know that." Faia responded. Damn. I really stand out now... she thought, I knew I should have tried for repairer...  
  
"So, who are you?" The raven haired girl asked. Faia groaned. More introductions.  
  
The raven haired, green eyed girl was Raven. Her personality really suited her name. Her hair did as well. The really tall red headed, brown-eyed girl was Kiara. The blond with silver streaks and blue eyes introduced herself as Kiromi. And the short, blue-eyed, green-streaked black haired one was Mirai.  
  
"I feel bad for you when you have to do the examinations. Your arm is really going to hinder your results." Mirai said.  
  
"Hinder her? Look what it did to the table!" Kiromi said, pointing to the table, which had been knocked over, and looked slightly dented.  
  
Faia had taken the time while the repairers laughed and set the table up to unpack the little things that she had brought. She crammed the small bag under her bed when she finished. She looked at the clock.  
  
"Damnit. I'm late for lunch. Oh well. Even if I didn't unpack, this place would've been too far to get there on time." Faia groaned. She hadn't eaten the night before she came, due to nervousness. And something else.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure you could come at the repairer's lunch." Kiara said.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The lunches are separated, one for kouhosei, and one for repairers. For the first few days at least. The dinner is conbined. I'm sure since you're over here, you'll have to get up, and eat when we do. But I'm sure when there's training sessions, you'll of course have to get to those on time."  
  
"Oh." was all Faia could say.  
  
"Oy, repairers, has that candidate gotten here yet?" A female instuctor had come into the room. Faia stepped out, not knowing what she was supposed to do.  
  
"Yes?" Faia answered.  
  
"I would like you to know that you will be attending the repairer's lunches for thee first few days, and if possible, to wake up at the time they do. However, since you cannot attend the repairer's training sessions, you will be responsible to get to your training on your own. After the first week, the lunches will be conbined again, and it will be easier. Is that understood?" The instructor said.  
  
"Hai." Faia answered, as the instructor walked out.  
  
"What'd I tell you? She almost repeated it word for word!" Kiara said, with a grin.  
  
Faia and the rest of the girls laughed. Laughing felt better. Everyone was done unpacking. They walked on to lunch, with gleeful looks on their faces, just chatting. It was like they had known each other forever.  
  
"Aww... Damn..." Faia said as she stepped into the lunch room.  
  
"Wassa matter?" Kiromi asked.  
  
"I stick out like a sore-"  
  
"Ack! Not that overuse quote! Finish that sentence and I'll sabatoge your Pro-Ing!" Raven joked.  
  
"Just ignore it. So what if your the only one in a kouhosei uniform? That doesn't single you out like a freak or anything." Mirai said.  
  
"Thank you Mirai, the master of the 'direct' approach." Raven said sarcatically. "But she's right, just ignore it. Its not like anyone cares. I think."  
  
"Thanks for your support." Faia hung her head after she let out her sarcastic comment.   
  
Many turned their heads, not becuase of voices, but because the door opening and closing let them evaluate the person as either: Friend, Foe, or Loser, not quite sane. But today, the five new girls got to go under a new category. The new ones. Not the best as names go, but who's gonna complain?  
  
"Who's going to try and guess what that is?" Kiara asked, reffering to the food.  
  
"I think mine's still alive." Raven joked.  
  
"My evaluation is... Deformed jello and... something else." Mirai tried, but couldn't think of anything to fit the description of the food.  
  
Faia felt good. For once in her life, she was really enjoying life. She sat down eating, trying not to taste the food. It wasn't to her taste, but it was the only thing she had eaten for almost two days, so she just shut up and ate. But the food didn't spoil the good time she was having.  
  
Something however, back where Faia came from, was going to make sure that she never had another good time...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
My god... This chapter was horribly written. But do now worry. I have taken steps that will ensure that I actually get some sleep so this never happens again. And I need to stay away from Root Beer for a while. But that's another story. Fourth chapter is coming up. Soon. 


	5. Passing

Five months. The new candidates had been at GOA for five months. Time really flew.  
  
Faia leaned against the wall in the observatory and stretched. Training had made her a bit more tired than usual. But yet again, it was very tiring to have both Azuma and Kaze yelling at her at the same time. She smiled. Something she had been doing more and more. Maybe coming her was a good idea after all. It had been five months, and the plan hadn't colasped around her ears yet.   
  
Yet. Her pessimistic thoughts always ruined everything. Sometimes she thought she only had a negitive personality in her head. She stretched a little more and yawned. A comical sight really. Yuumei happened to walk in while her mouth was gaping open.  
  
"Getting less and less like a lady with each passing day, eh Tiger?" He said before flopping down next to her.  
  
"Shaddup." Her reply was more of a joke than a snapping comment.  
  
"Kiromi is one tough cookie. Nearly tore my head off when she saw the state of the Pro-Ing..." Yuumei trailed off. Kiromi was his repairer. She didn't look it, but she was very sensitve when it came to her Pro-Ing. If it was ever totaled beyond repair, she'd kill Yuumei if the Victim didn't.  
  
"She's a good repairer. Besides, its more work for her if you keep losing control like that." Faia stated. "Maybe if you didn't head toward the middle of the fight, you would've been less damaged. But yet again, its in your nature to get yourself pounded." She ducked the playful punch Yuumei tossed.  
  
"You shut up. I have nothing better to do. Besides, its not like I ever get to fight. You and Kometto are the only ones worth fighting. And you usually fight each other. That just leaves me in the dust."  
  
"Ever fought Kage when his EX is activated?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Good. Let's hope you never do."   
  
Haru marched in, his face a mask of fear. He was in a cold sweat and stammering. "Nin-nin-ninety... th-there w-w-was..." He sat down, shaking, his head in his hands.  
  
Kage and Kometto ran in, Kage panting.   
  
"What happened ninety-three? Why'd you just run off like that man?" Kometto wondered, clearly seeing that Haru was disturbed.  
  
"Did you see something?" Faia really felt pity for him. His EX could bring him such pain. Premonitions. He could see things before they happened. Only, the catch was, he only saw them a few minutes before it happened. An hour max. Luckily, he could change them. If he worked fast.  
  
"Victim... Big swarm. Don't know what type. Different than usual. Seem different. I've got a really bad feeling..." At least he wasn't stammering. But not speaking in complete sentences wasn't much of an improvement. "Surrounded a bunch of kouhosei. Destroyed them all. Horrible..." Haru was shaking. Blood and destruction never did apeal to him. He couldn't even stand his own blood.  
  
"Okay... Lady and Gentlemen, we officially have a problem." Kage said. He knew as well as the rest of them that they didn't have much time.  
  
"Look on the bright side-" Faia started, before Kometto cut her off, as usual.  
  
"There's actually a bright side?" Kometto said with much sarcasm in his tone of voice.  
  
"Shut up, and let me get a word in. Obviously, the scene was a Victim battle. In case you haven't noticed, there isn't a victim attack going on."  
  
"Here ya go." Yuumei had propped something into Faia's lap. Her sketchbook. Faia wasn't the only one shocked. No one had seen Yuumei leave.  
  
Faia opened up a new page in her sketchbook and pulled out the pencil she had hid in its leather-bound side. Everyone knew what would happen next. It was habit. Haru would describe and Faia would draw. Drawing was one of her few talents.  
  
"It wasn't that big, about half the size of our Pro-Ings," Haru started. "It had a round head, it was dark black, really hard to see. It had wings, like a bat. And claws and fangs." Faia proceded to draw.  
  
"Please. Something distinguishing. Something that not all Victim have if you don't mind." Kometto was getting aggrivated. Haru's discriptions were never very good.  
  
"It looked more like a demon than anything else..." Haru started, and Faia's head snapped up.  
  
"Demon?" Faia seemed a little nervous. No one noticed. She began to scribble furiously, pouring over her sketchbook, everyone could tell that she had a good mental image of what Haru was discribing, even if they didn't. "Like this?" She held up her picture. Kage shuddered. Faia had a way of drawing pictures that made you think they were going to jump out.  
  
"The tail was longer. And it had some spikes along its back. And its eyes. Were shaped differently, not so round. And they had this blue dot on either sides of their eyes." Haru said, as Faia erased, and amended her drawing. "There." Haru said. "Exactly like that."  
  
Kometto let out a whistle. "That looks like a mean sucker. I don't want to be the one caught in your premonition man..."  
  
"We need a plan. And fast." Yuumei said. Then the alarm bells went off.  
  
"Thanks a lot genius, you jinxed it." Kometto snapped. He and Yuumei had never gotten along that well.  
  
"Emergancy alert. Emergancy alert. Victim sighted in area zero-nine-one. Report to Pro-Ings and stand by." The alarm's mechanical voice sent shivvers down Haru's spine. They obviously had even less time than before.  
  
The five candidates ran to the hangar as fast as their legs could possibly carry them. By the time they had got there, the repairers were already there, and starting up. The candidates ran into the cockpit of their Pro-Ings in unison, and Faia had tossed her sketchbook next to Kaze, her repairer before she had entered. They launched. And the repairers yelled. As usual.  
  
"Can't you ever get out on time??" Raven yelled. Kometto was trying to block her out and consentrate.  
  
"The next time you total the Pro-Ing, I'll be the one putting you in a hospital bed! You're lucky I was able to fix it in time!" Kiromi yelled, and Yuumei rolled his eyes.  
  
"Mirai! I heard you! QUIT YELLING AT ME!!!!" Kage had lost his temper. Mirai had a bad habit of yelling.  
  
Kiara was silent. She had noted that Haru was nervous. So she didn't say anything.  
  
"This is a new type of Victim. Or did you design this yourself?" Kaze wondered as he saw the page Faia had left the book open to.  
  
"Its what Haru saw, got any info on it?" Faia replied, noting the silence of space. There was nothing here. Then why did the alarms go off?  
  
Kaze was stumped. "Nothing. I scanned it into my small computer, and there's nothing on it. It's either a new form of Victim... or..." He never finished the sentence. There was a large blast that shattered the silence of space.  
  
"What the fuck was that?" Faia was angry now. Yet again, she always had a short temper. The blast nearly hit them.  
  
"Beats me." Kage was shaken up. He was the closest one to getting hit.  
  
"So what's the plan Tiger?" Yuumei asked Faia. For some reason unknown, everyone had accepted Faia as the leader. Even Kometto. Cause hell knows he didn't want to be making desisions that could get them killed if he was wrong. Besides, Faia had always come up with good battle plans. Even if they sounded crazy, they usually worked.  
  
"I don't know yet. I can't see anything." Faia responded. searching around. She noted that other kouhosei seemed as confused as they were.  
  
Kage was the first to see it. "TAKE COVER! We're under heavy fire!" Everyone dove downward. Fast. Several red blasts pierced the space where they had been.  
  
"Eye filters changed to filter eight. Can you see anything now?" Mirai had changed the filters on Kage's Pro-Ing.   
  
"I don't see anything! What the hell is going on?!" Kage was confused. It was the highest filter, that made everything go into focus. He could see the bolts on some Pro-Ings. But no Victim.  
"Gahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" A kouhosei's agony could be heard over their communication devices. He had been hit. And the worst part was, no one knew where it was coming from.  
  
"CANDIDATE NINETY! WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! GET BACK IN FORMATION!" Azuma's harsh voice was blaring in their ears. Faia had lead them out of their attack formation again. Faia drowned him out and scanned the area.  
  
"This is useless. I can't see a thing!" Faia exclaimed, exasperated. Her eyesight was slightly above normal. She couldn't see miles away. And Faia never liked what she couldn't see.  
  
"Anyone have a plan?" Yuumei asked again, hoping someone did. He nearly got hit again by another blast.  
  
"I've got one. Not a plan, but it might work." Faia said slowly, letting the effect sink in.  
  
"Well? Spill! I'm not going to sit here and get killed!" Kometto yelled.  
  
"HIT THE DEBRIS!" Haru shouted. "NOW!" It was second nature to the five candidates now. When Haru was shouting, it wasn't good. They crowded behind the debris as the biggest blast passed them. It elemininated everything in its path. Including three unknown kouhosei. The debris was the only thing that acted as a sheild, protecting them. Just barely.  
  
"Shit." Faia swore. She really was becoming more unladylike as the days passed. "Hey, ninety-two, fire up your EX, and blast it, make it as similar to the last blast." Their candidate numbers. They dubbed each other with their numbers. At first they did it to annoy each other, but now it was out of habit.  
  
"One step ahead of you Tiger." Yuumei replied.   
  
"EX reaction! Yuumei, what the hell do you think you're doing?! You'll get demerits! Or killed!" Kiromi slammed her hand on the repairer's console, making some other repairers stare. "You're hopeless!" She flopped down in her chair, irritated. If Yuumei wants to deplete his EX, that's fine with me... Her thoughts were bitter. Yuumei never listened to her. If Faia said that jumping off a cliff would defeat the Victim, Yuumei would most likely do it. So she was just going to let him do what he wanted.  
  
Yuumei's fury unleashed. It was like watching hell break loose. Faia's EX activated. Then it flickered out. Kaze stood up in shock. He had never seen Faia's EX activate, and it had been five months. And the wierdest thing is, it didn't even do anything. Once you get a reaction, something always happened. Either seen or unseen. It didn't just stop halfway. Kaze gave up.   
Yuumei's blast went through the space, nearly hitting some other kouhosei, but something funny happened. The Victim were revealed.  
  
"That. Is very creepy." Kometto let out another long whistle. "Were the Victim invisible or somethin'?" He started shooting.  
  
"Beats me." Kage's voice was full of surprise. He had never seen Yuumei's EX blast like that. He took out his gun, swords might not be a good idea.  
  
"At least we can see them now. But something's got me worried..." Faia trailed off, as she avoided a blast and shot at them.  
  
"Besides the fact that they're not the Victim in my premontion?" Haru asked. He squinted his green eyes, trying to get a closer look. "Wait... What are they doing?" He wasn't the only one who noted the strange behavior of the Victim. They seemed all clustered together, like if they were going to launch an attack...  
  
Haru didn't have enough time to warn anyone before the Victim issued their attack. It was exactly like their last one. It was in unison, something that surprised everyone. Haru was only able to mutter a groan, before darkness enveloped him, sending him into painful unconsiousness...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
Sorry to leave you hanging. I thought that this crappy writting should be stopped before it could hurt anyone. This was written very badly. I'd like to let you know, before I get flamed, that none of these characters will EVER become Mary Sues or John Does (Bobby Stu's). I am strongly against them. They suck major ass. I am also going to be writting a small announcement on how to reconize and eliminate (or fix) Mary Sues in your area. So if I don't post in a while, its becuase I'm working on that. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as this fanficer's block goes away. (Is that even a word?) 


	6. Dreams

Pain. It felt like someone was hammering it through his body. He couldn't discribe it. The pain was claiming his body so quickly, Yuumei couldn't stand it any longer. His eyes snapped open, his body sceaming in pain because of the effort.  
  
What the hell? Where am I? Yuumei's eyes did not reconize the surroundings. It wasn't even space. He was remembering things slowly. Very slowly. And the pain didn't help.  
  
Did I crash land into a colony? What's happening? Waves of panic fought for domination in Yuumei's mind, as he stuggled to keep himself calm. He was lying on the ground. And not in a Pro-Ing.   
  
What's going on? Yuumei surpressed a yell as something tore across his shoulder. Someone was firing something. He needed to move.  
  
He lifted himself weakly, his arms making it difficult as pain raked up and down them. He bit his tongue so he wouldn't scream. He took two more blasts until he could get himself into a position to move. He tried to get under something, anything, anything to stop his getting hit. there was a half destroyed home. It would have to do.  
  
He got under the cover and sank to his knees, the pain of standing impossible to bear any longer. Blood was streaming down his arms where he had been hit.  
  
Is this what war is like? Living in fear and pain? Yuumei didn't know what he was thinking. He didn't care. All he wanted was to know what was firing at him. A blast tore through the shelter. It brushed his shoulder, just barely, and Yuumei cried out, like a frightened child.  
  
"Fuck..." He breathing was getting unsteady. He couldn't remain like this. Not for long.  
  
If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting. Not hiding behind some cheap-ass shelter that used to be a house. He got up slowly, and prepared to face what was coming.  
  
Oh my fucking God... Is that...? Is that me?!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Haru was engulfed in nightmares, the premonitions he had had before. He could see all of them. All the ones that had come true. He was trapped inside his own self-consience. And he couldn't make it go away.  
  
It was like his dreams at night. He had never told anyone that premonitions that had come true haunted him at night. After a while he stopped sleeping. But it didn't matter to him. He'd rather be tired than scared shitless by what he should've prevented. He began to tremble. The premonitions only got worse and worse as they got along.  
  
There seemed to be a flash of the brightest light Haru had ever seen. He covered his eyes instinctivly. When he removed his hands, he saw what he didn't think he'd ever see again.  
  
My colony... Impossible... How? He was at a loss for thoughts, as well as words. His colony had been destroyed five years ago. He had been told that all colonies looked the same, but somehow he knew this was his colony. He knew. How many times had he walked upon the ground here? He was even in the same spot that he would go to when the other boys teased him about being so quiet and scared.  
  
The air shifted, and Haru knew what was going to happen. It was puzzling. It had happened before. One of the premonitions he could not have prevented. Haru remembered pondering for almost two years how he could've prevented what was going to happen at the moment. He cursed himself now for having given up.  
  
Haru could not stand watching everyone die once more. Once, he could barely tolerate. Twice, never. He could see all the people from his old colony, their names forgotten in his mind, outside, oblivious to what was about to happen.  
  
He wanted to warn them. He tried to move, but it felt like someone had glued him down. When he opened his mouth, no sound issued. He couldn't even close his eyes he was so scared. He couldn't even warn them, give them a slight hint. They would die helpless once more.  
  
The true shock was yet to come. Haru saw himself, a twelve year old version. Running and scared. He was near the bars where they were building a new shelter in case Victim approched. The real Haru wanted to close his eyes and wake up from this nightmare. This wasn't reality. It was memory. Memory of the most tragic thing that had ever happened to him. All his hope diminished. He didn't get a second chance to do this over. He was being forced to watch, and suffering greatly.  
  
He closed his eyes tightly. He heard the screams of the people, the cries of the children, the screams and yells of the adults. He could hear the beastly cry of the Victim, that to this day sent shivers down his spine, and hatred into his eyes. He covered his ears as well, and sunk to his knees. But he could still hear it. This sickening crunch of the Victim cracking through the dome and things being smashed. The chaos and the things falling. A sudden thought occured to Haru. He could watch, see who, if anyone other than him survived. But that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to escape this. He pressed his hands on his ears even harder, trying to mute out the event that had tormented him for the past five years.  
  
  
  
  
  
All Kometto could see was a battle scene. A familiar one, but all battles became similar after you participated in them enough. He grabbed everything he could get his hands on and fought. Grenades, crossbows, handguns. If they were there, Kometto had them in his hand. He could hear Faia shouting commands in his ear. His responce made no sense to anyone except the three who were communicating with each other. Kometto could see the war-queen herself, standing on his right, drenched in blood, but firing every shot out of that handgun that she could. Her eyes were the most firey red he had ever seen. She was no more an angel than the demons they were fighting. She was more an angel of war. Of the fiery depths of hell.  
  
Kaze, on Kometto's left, was pumping that crossbow for more than it was worth. Kometto shifted his attention to the explosives he had set up and fired all he could. With stakes this high, it was all or nothing.  
  
Later on, he would wonder how they all got here. And where he was exactly. But his mind was too focused on battle, and that's what happens after a while. Kometto had no thoughts whatsoever on what he was doing. In battle, thoughts take to long. Thoughts are what get you killed. You go by instinct. You had to be naturally got at it. You either were, or you weren't. Fortunatly, Kometto was VERY good at it.  
  
He couldn't see what he was firing at because of all the smoke and bombs going off. Kometto grinned. Good. If they got past the smoke, they were dead. It would be impossible to miss at that range. He tossed his gun aside, not bothering to reload it, and picked up another. Reloading took too much time. So having more than one is a must.  
  
Kometto finnally took more than a half a second to observe his surroundings. It wasn't just him, Kaze, and Faia fighting. There was a whole army behind him. Odd. He had never fought with an army behind him.  
  
"Snap out of it moron! They're firing through the smoke! They'll reach us!" Faia's voice was sharper than the knives all the members carried. She was reffering to Kometto in general. Kometto snarled and kept firing.  
  
How did I ever get myself into this shit? He gritted his teeth and fired. His mind only allowed that one thought. Everything else was omitted, and focused on the fight.  
  
"Oh screw this!" He snapped, tired of the shoot routine. He grabbed all the explosives he could carry and placed them as close to the enemy as possible.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing?! It's dangerous at that range!" Faia's other words of unladylike language were drowned out when Kometto ran back as far as he could, and fired a shot at the explosives, blowing the demons sky high.  
  
  
  
  
  
Faia could hear screaming and yelling. And laughter. Cruel, heartless, laughter.  
  
Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself lying on the ground, while others ran in panic. She could hear the screaming, and the sickening sounds of killing. Everything was a sticky red, the color of blood. She swore.  
  
The battle cries of the demons reached her ears, as she pulled herself to her feet. Experience in battle told her not to take cover. Not yet.  
  
She didn't observe her surroundings. She didn't care where she was. All she could see were the demons, the Victim, whatever you wanted to call it, it was still the same thing. She needed weapons. Anything. Anything at all.  
  
The blood of a warrior was runnning through her veins, and she just fought. She hit anything that came near her with any object she could get her hands on. Against her better judgement, she was getting bloodthirsty. She would kill them all. She didn't know why she was fighting, she was just fighting. It was who she was, and what she lived for.  
  
Slashes of the claws and fangs of the demons enbedded themselves in her skin, and she knew they were there, but she couldn't feel them, she was too focused on battle. She could hear the people around her. The sceaming, and the cries of "She's got to be crazy!". She found a bar. She raised it above her heard and brought it down, hearing the crunch of a breaking skull.  
  
A whole swarm was apporching. Faia swore. Her rational part of mind took over. She had gotten too cocky, thinking she could kill all of them on her own. She would be killed in nothing flat.  
  
Not if I can help it. Her EX flared. And she ran toward the Victim, not knowing what the outcome would be.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kage was only half aware of what was going on. He felt like he was underwater. Like he had no control. He felt sick to his stomach, the pain running through him. He had never felt like this in his entire life. He didn't deserve this.  
  
Or do I? Kage had been having the best life, before he had come. He had never felt true pain, or the feelings of war. It felt like he had been thrown into a new place. And he still wasn't used to it.  
  
Kage remembered what Faia had said in the hospital wing that Kage had put her into when his EX rampaged.  
  
"You've had too good a life. Unlike a lot of people. And now you're being brought up here, being trained to fight, to experience war, without any experience. And you're not used to it. It's either adapt or die in this sort of situation. I chose to adapt. What will you choose?" Her voice had a challenging tone in it. A tone he wouldn't forget.  
  
Kage suddently changed then. Right then, in his state of unconsiousness, he knew what he chose. He never really understood what Faia had said that day, until now. He wasn't going to die. He would take all those bastards down.  
  
He cursed himself for being such a coward these past few months. Faia had been right, his life had been too good. And it changed. He wasn't going to let it affect him. He had been brought here for a purpose, and he would fulfill that purpose. Or die trying.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kaze and the other repairers were in a panic. They had lost all communications, and the consoles had all but stopped working. Most of the kouhosei had already come back. But not those five. Mirai and Kiromi were proceding to beating up the machine, even though it wasn't going to help. Kaze slammed his hand on the machine and swore loudly. As Azuma came in the door.  
  
"What's with the language?" He asked, then noticed none of the five kouhosei were back. He also noticed Raven kicking the machine.  
  
"Fucking bastards..." Kaze was swearing the hell out of himself, which was pretty common.  
  
"They're getting killed, and they're just sleeping through it! Those morons! Yuumei, if you wake up, I'll never kick you again!" Kiromi wailed, and Yuumei didn't wake up.  
  
The repairers were yelling all at the same time, raving and doing there best to wake up the unconsious kouhosei.  
  
"They've gotta be in a coma! Or worse if they can sleep though this!" Mirai was raving like a lunatic. "Why don't these damn things work????" She pounded on the buttons, forgetting everything in her training.  
  
"What the hell are you saying? All the victim have been taken down!" Azuma yelled loudly over the voices of the wailing and swearing Repairers.  
  
"THEN WHY ARE THEY RECIVING DAMAGE THEN?!" Raven yelled even louder.  
  
"What?" He whipped off his glasses, and looked at the profiles on the consoles. Raven was right. Candidate ninety-one was still reciving damage. So were the rest. And the machine wasn't reporting what was causing it. Then it just stopped. No more damage. Nothing. Just five sleeping (or unconsious) candidates floating out in space.  
  
"Now that is just creepy." Raven said after she let out a long whistle. She was a lot like her partner.  
  
"What just happened?"  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Yes I realize this chapter was poorly written. Everything before what the repairers are saying and doing are the candidate's dreams while they were unconsious. (If you couldn't figure it out.) Yes, they were memories. Err... sorta. Yes, I'm pretty sure that this line of crappy writting will cease soon. I hope. Chapter six (or five if you count the prologue) is in the works. 


	7. Awakening

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.  
  
The sounds of a monitor beeping could be heard throughout the silent room.  
  
Am I...? Am I dead? Kage's throught echoed through his spinning head. He felt like something had trampled him, over and over.  
  
No, can't be dead. It wouldn't hurt this much if I were dead.  
  
His eyes opened weakly. He was in the infirmary.  
  
How did I get here?  
  
He looked around the white room, and tried to get himself into a sitting postition. He failed. Twice. He was finnally able to get himself into a postition where he was sitting, his back and head resting against the headboard of the bed. He looked at the beds surrounding him. His friends were the occupants.  
  
Kometto groaned, and Yuumei started to cough, and then stopped. Kage also saw Haru roll over, and Faia shift slightly.  
  
At least they're alive... Kage was relieved. But how did we get back? He drifted off into deep thought, about his choice, and what happened.  
  
Faia was the second one awake. She couldn't sleep any longer, the pain had claimed her body too quickly, and she had awoken with an urge to scream. She didn't. She shifted herself into a sitting position, ignoring the agony that ripped through her body. She stared to her left, and saw Kage, staring at his hands, apparantly in deep thought. He was the only one awake.  
  
"You alive?" She joked, and Kage was torn out of his thoughts.  
  
"Nope."  
  
"How'd we get back?"  
  
"I've been asking myself that question for the past hour and a half."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Still haven't thought of a reasonable explanation. Can't even think of one that proves how we're still alive."  
  
"Yeah... Those other three kouhosei were killed instantly. Not even remains. Why were we spared?"  
  
"How am I supposed to know?"  
  
"Well sorry!" Faia leaned back. She changed the subject. "Kaze will kill me. I bet the Pro-Ing's totaled, I mean, look at me," She tried not to imagine Kaze's angry face.  
  
"Mirai will break my eardrums when we get back," Kage moaned. He hated her high-pitched scream, especially after a battle.  
  
"You mean she hasn't already?" Yuumei was awake, sitting upright with a idiotic look on his face.  
  
"Hahaha. I pity YOU. I've been hearing Kiromi's raving for the past half hour!" That wiped the look off Yuumei's face.  
  
"Don't kid around ninety-four," Yuumei said seriously.  
  
"I'm not kidding," Kage said seriously. Then the three heard Kiromi yelling. A lot. And it didn't seem very nice.  
  
"Shit. I'm dead!" Yuumei fell back onto the bed, making a small rattling noise.  
  
"You think that they'd be grateful we came back alive," Faia stated quietly.  
  
"Apparently not," Kage replied.  
  
"My head hurts. Do you think they have asprin around this place?" Kometto had woken up. Haru had too, a few minutes ago, but no one noticed until now because he didn't say anything.  
  
"You can't go around asking for DRUGS!" Yuumei said a bit loudly, hoping Rill heard. She did.  
  
"Drugs?! Is that what you were on when you did that? That was the stupidest thing I've seen a candidate do in years!" Rill had come in with her hands on her hips.  
  
"Not drugs! I just wanted asprin!" Kometto said defensively. His glare matched Rill's. And then he aimed one at Yuumei. Yuumei was smirking, similar to the one Faia had when she got cocky.  
  
"Oh. So you candidates aren't dead. Hope you slept well. Your repairers have something to say to you." Azuma had also come in the doorway. Yuumei started whimpering when he heard him.  
  
"Gee, how mean. You made ninety-two cry." Kometto said sarcastically.  
  
"Shut up, fang boy. I'm not crying. But when I'm able to get out of this bed, you'll be." Yuumei retorted loudly.  
  
"Oooh! I'm so scared!" Kometto mocked, and making the most idiotic face Yuumei had ever seen.  
  
"Can it, bastard boy!" Faia was irritated. Kometto was giving her a headache. And obviously, there was no asprin.  
  
"Stay out halfblood!"  
  
Faia's eyes flared once more. She looked very capable of murder right then. "Come over here and say that!"  
  
"What? Are you too WEAK to come over here yourself?"  
  
"So much for trying to get rest eh?" Haru was shaking his head, as Faia lept out of bed, ready to kill Kometto. Even when nearly killed, Faia and Kometto could never find an excuse to stop fighting. And everyone had given up on trying to figure out what 'halfblood' meant. For the moment at least.  
  
"Training starts this afternoon. Try not to kill each other until then." Azuma left the room, muttering about 'immature idiots'.  
  
"You guys are free to go, unless you want to stay in here longer. We did the atomic replacements while you were asleep. You may feel a bit of pain for a while, but other than that, you're all right." Rill said to the air in the room. The candidates had already run out.  
  
The five were met by a group of angry faces about ten feet away, but they could still hear what they were saying.  
  
"I TOLD YOU! IF THE VICTIM DIDN'T KILL YOU, I WOULD!! AND I'M KEEPING MY PROMISE!"  
  
"THREE FUCKING HOURS OF REPAIRS! AND THAT WAS ONLY HALF OF IT! IT'S STILL NOT DONE!"  
  
"DID YOU THINK THAT SNORING WAS GOING TO KILL THE VICTIM????!!!"  
  
"YOU MUST HAVE BEEN ON DRUGS, OR WORSE!"  
  
There was plenty more, and the repairers were running toward them, threats showing in their angry faces.  
  
Kometto couldn't resist. He never could.  
  
"STAMPEDE!!" He yelled, as the candidates turned swiftly on their heels, and ran.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
I'm really sorry for such a late post. And it still doesn't sound right. I may take this chapter down and put a re-write up. Its just that things didn't flow in this chapter, and I was afraid of whether you people (who actually read this) would like it, so I stalled. A lot. But don't worry! I got plenty of R&R, so I think things will flow better now, since I've actually got a better idea of the storyline, instead of making it up as I go along ^^;;; Well, as usual, next chapter coming soon!  
~Faia 


	8. Illusion

"Start." Kaze pushed a few buttons on his new simulator invention. Five holigrams of Victim flew out, toward their targets. The candidates.  
  
Kometto let out a yelp of excitement as he began to fight the amazingly real simulation. Amazingly enough it was solid, he found out after he gave it a kick.  
  
Of course, it was one of the small pesky, not much of a threat Victim. Beucase there was no way in hell that Kaze could make a simulation of the really dangerous ones. They were too damn big. And the fact that it was difficult to make solid holigrams as it is.  
  
Haru was the only one not fighting. He was too busy dodging. His EX wasn't activated, but he still knew where to jump, to dash to, when to duck or jump. He was looking to the ideal time to strike, since he had no weapons, and his martial art skills were an almost zero. He knew he was wearing it down, even if it wasn't real. Kaze had made it too realistic. There was no way for it to go on forever, never tiring.  
  
All the repairers were slightly concerned about the test of Kaze's new invention. Only slightly. Everything he made usually worked. And he could shut them down if it got out of hand. They watched on in interest, wondering how they would take them down without weapons.  
  
No weapons?? Compromise! Kage's thoughts boomed into his head. His eyes shifted left and right, for something he can use as a weapon. Clipboard. Crude, but it'll work. He faked left, but went right and dove to the ground, swiping the clipboard off the table as he fell. He rolled over quickly and held the clipboard up as a shield when the blade that the Victim had for an arm struck down. Kage pushed the clipboard forward, and the victim tetered backward, the clipboard striking it in the face. Kage picked up the clipboard and whacked it over the head.  
  
Kometto was dodging in an unusual way. It looked like an cross between dances from at least every culture.   
  
"Screw this!" He shouted, as his hair took the usual light blue glow.  
  
Kometto's features changed slowly, in an almost sickening way. He moved his head back as the fangs and ears of a tiger began to develop. Sickening half-roars and howling noises emerged from his throat, and the fur sprouted, starting from his feet. His hands and feet became paws with sharp claws, and the fur soon replaced the skin and the GOA uniform he was wearing. The howls and painful roars continued, and a tail slowly grew out from behind, slowly, like a snake coming out of a hole.  
  
"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God," Mirai was scared and sickened. She hadn't been there the last times it had happened. She didn't like this one bit. "Oh my God. Oh my God," She kept repeating this, over and over, making it seem like one word, like if it was 'ohmygod'. The other repairers, who had seen this happen, stood stock still, and stepped out of springing range.  
  
The Victim that Kaze had created had just stood still, like if it was confused, just watching the transformation. Its eyes were transfixed, and a look of fear flashed across its face.  
Kometto soon stopped standing upright, after his brown eyes took the gold glow. He was now on all four paws, and let out a roar. And sprang.  
  
"Let's hear it for fang boy ladies and gentlemen!" Yuumei let out as he stole Kage's compromising idea and whacked the Victim with a chair. "Back! Back! Back you creature of Satan!!!"   
  
Faia let out one of those cackling battle cries. She continued her strategy. Dodge, dodge, kick. Duck, punch, kick. Uppercut to the jaw, punch to the chest, kick to the chest. Repeat until the Victim figures it out. Then come up with a new one. It worked very well. She jumped out of the way of Kometto's pinned-down Victim as it fell, and avoided Kometto's claws and fangs, before giving her Victim another kick.  
  
Haru kept dodging, and finnally found the right time for a punch, that sent the Victim offbalance. Haru administered more punches and kicks before it could recover, which stunned the Victim even more. The Victim soon found a good time to get up, and send Haru flying backwards.  
  
Haru sat up, and just froze like a deer in headlights when he saw the Victim stand over him. The Victim brought down the blades it had for hands, and Haru closed his eyes, waiting for the hit...  
  
CLINK! Kage had quickly put a chair in between the path between the Victim's blade arms, and Haru. Then he lifted the chair upwards, sending the Victim offbalance. Kage then returned to beating the crap out of his Victim with one of the chairs.  
  
Faia let out a cackle of delight as she administered the last punch needed to destroy the Victim. It shattered into pieces before disapearing, just like it would in a video game. She let out a cry of victory, and did one of her cocky victory dances, consisting of her jumping in the air screaming "Oh yeah! Who's the best??? Who's the best???" and throwing her fist in the air, jumping backwards, letting out those cocky cries, never watching what she's going to walk into. Or what will walk into her.  
  
Kometto's Victim lurched into her, knocking her over backwards into a sitting position.  
  
"Crap... That was kind of painful..." She rubbed her chin where the Victim's elbow had hit.  
  
"LOOK OUT!!!" Someone's voice boomed loudly. Kometto sprang in the direction of Victim, which was in front of Faia. But Victim moved out of the way leaving Faia exposed to his dangerous pounce.  
  
THINK DUMBASS! That thought took total dominance over the rest. Her reflexes took control at that point, and she curled herself into a ball, and lashed out with her legs, sending a powerful kick like a kangaroo. It hit him full-on in the face, sending him backwards, and a pain-filled roar emerged.  
  
It may have been a powerful kick, but it is very difficult to stop a full grown tiger. Faia's kick only sent him back slightly less than three feet back. But it was enough to keep her from getting killed.  
  
"WHAT is going on here?!" Azuma and five second troop candidates came in the door. It consisted of Zero, Clay, Roose, Hiead, and Yamagi. And their repairers. They saw everything. The Victim. The tiger, everything  
  
"Uhh....uh..." 


	9. Shock

Azuma stepped into the room fully, confusion clearly spread across his face.  
  
"I SAID, WHAT is going on in here?"  
  
Faia and Yuumei stood next to each other, blocking off the view of the Victim holigrams.  
  
"Nothing instructor, what gives you the impression that there's something going on?" Yuumei said calmly, choosing his words carefully. Kaze quickly and quietly pushed the buttons on his small holigram projector, and the Victim disapeared.  
  
Kometto (still a tiger) had darted behind the group of repairers and began to demorph as quickly as his EX would allow. Mirai was creeped out, but everyone else seemed used to it, and did their best to block off anyone's view of him. Kage put the chairs back into their proper places before Azuma could notice.  
  
Those kids have been acting strange lately... I don't know what those kouhosei are hiding, but they're not doing a good job... But I will find out. Azuma thought silently to himself.  
  
"I heard a tiger roar. You don't need my good hearing to hear that," Kizna said as she pointed to the ears perched neatly on her head.  
  
"It was... One of Kaze's newest inventions! It manipulates sound into any kind of noise he wants!" Raven shouted over Haru, who was going "Tiger? What tiger? There wasn't any tiger!"  
  
"What's a tiger?" Zero said stupidly. Kizna rolled her eyes.  
  
"A tiger is an old earth animal. Surely you would know that Zero," Clay said as he adjusted his glasses. "But an invention that manipulates sound... Interesting... But how would you get the sound without a recording?"  
  
"Who said there wasn't a recording?" Kaze had stood up boldly, cooly answering Clay's question with one of his own.  
  
"But how would you get one? Tigers were destroyed thousands of years ago when the planet was!"  
  
"Who needs an old tiger when I got fang-boy here!" Kaze slapped Kometto on the back. "I took a recording when his EX rampaged two months ago," He added that to his lie quickly, when he saw the unusual look Azuma was giving him.  
  
Clay didn't seem satisfied, but let the subject drop when he saw something new he could argue about.   
  
"Is that candidate a GIRL?!" Zero said stupidly once again, with an expression of shock on his face.  
  
"No, idiot, I'm the tiger that was in here a minute ago," Faia responded sarcastically, after rolling her eyes.  
  
"But that's impossible!" Clay reasoned.  
  
"Can you care to tell me why, WITHOUT turning it into a ten hour seminar?" Faia responded, the sarcasm still showing in her face.  
  
"You need to have an EO bloodtype, and-" Clay was cut off completely, when Faia interupted.  
  
"Who said I had EO? I have OX, thank you very much!"  
  
"WHAT?! Then how did you become-???"  
  
"They told me that I had EX, and said it was okay, since I had EX, but they had to change the Pro-Ing adaption programs to make it work for my bloodtype," Faia shrugged her shoulders as she said it. "But for all I know, my results on the EX test may have gotten mixed up with someone else's," Faia reasoned, shrugging once more.  
  
"Most likely that's what happened. There's NO way a halfblood like you could ever have EX and become a pilot," Kometto retorted. Then he cried out as a clipboard hit his head. "WHY YOU LITTLE BITCH YOU!!!" He had his hands over his neck, bent over, shaking in pain. "I'll rip you to shreds!"  
  
"Watch your language candidate! If I have to tell you ONE more time, you'll be getting demerits!" Azuma was very irked. "Look, just introduce yourselves and quit trying to kill each other," He said. He began muttering, "I have half a mind to shut them all up in a room for a week and return later for the pieces..."  
  
The five kouhosei began to laugh loudly. Kometto was almost on the floor because he was laughing so hard.  
  
"Will you five get on with it?!" Azuma was losing his cool.  
  
"SOMEONE didn't have their morining cigarette..." Faia said, and then picked up Raven's hairbrush, which Raven had set down earlier, and held it in front of her like a microphone. "If you follow the 'yellow brick road' you will find... us! On my right, is 'if only I had a brain....' KOMETTO AME! Candidate number ninety-one! And-"  
  
"ON MY LEFT, is 'if only I had a heart...' FAIA HI! Otherwise known as 'half-blood' or ninety!" Kometto interupted.  
  
"WILL YOU STOP ACTING LIKE LITTLE KIDS FOR ONCE!?" Kage had to shout to keep from laughing. Faia and Kometto glared at him, jokingly. "Don't hurt me." Kage added quickly.  
  
"And on my right, is 'if only I had courage' KAGE! Who's last name I don't remember!" Yuumei filled in, trying to keep from cracking up. But he was cut off by Azuma's yelling before he could continue.  
  
"And I'm Yuumei, and he's Haru," Yuumei finished after Azuma quit yelling at them.  
  
Azuma's eyebrows furrowed as he read the list of pairings. Are they trying to kill them off? He wondered that, but did not say it aloud.  
  
"Alright, number eighty-five, Roose, your partner for this session is number ninety-four, Kage. Number eighty-six, Yamagi, your partner is number ninety-one, Kometto. Number eighty-seven, Hiead, your partner is... number ninety, Faia. May God be with you. And number-"  
  
"Yeah, kid, may God be with you!" Zero said, forgetting Faia's name again.  
  
"Enna, you shouldn't call her kid. She's a year older than you. And I was talking to Hiead," Azuma said, without lifting his head up. He didn't see Faia's hands curl into fists. And he didn't see Yuumei trying to calm her so she didn't knock a blow to his head. "Number eighty-eight, Zero, you have candidate ninety-three, Haru. Number eighty-nine, Clay, you have number ninety-two, Yuumei. Is everything clear?" All the candidates nodded except for Hiead to show their agreement.  
  
"Haru, right?" Zero said, introducing himself. "I'm Zer- WHAT THE HELL?!" Zero took a step back as Haru's EX activated, and his eyes glazed over in the usual expression. His eyes turned from the shining emerald green to a dull grey in a matter of seconds as his hair turned a brighter teal blue. Kage got a chair, and Kaze grabed Faia's sketchbook. Kiara dashed out of the room. Faia took the sketchbook from Kaze and waited for it the premonition to be over.  
  
Kiara dashed back in with a glass of water, a bit of it spilling onto her hand as she ran. Haru's EX reaction faded as he slowly returned to normal. He just stared at Zero, blinking at him in shock.  
  
"Hey man, you alright?" Zero took a step forward. Haru stepped backward quickly and tripped over the chair Kage had set for him. He scurried backwards, trying to get as far away from Zero as possible.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" Zero asked, totally confused. Haru had a look of pure fear on his face.  
  
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Haru shouted, shaking all over...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
This totally was not written right. Don't worry this will be explained. Tons better. I really need to get over this writter's block... 


End file.
